Hey Sparkles! I am new to the forums and I am sure others will offer you much more advice than I will, but I thought I'd give my two cents. I foster a lot of problem dogs and have read countless books on positive training, but that is FAR from me being an expert or even partially knowledgeable haha....

I think anyone with a reactive dog has had moments where you get super paranoid and think all sorts of crazy things... I AM DOING THIS ALL WRONG, I HAVE TO PUT HER DOWN OR ELSE PEOPLE WILL DIE.... luckily these thoughts are what motivate us to be so aware of our surroundings and every single little ...

Hello all, I know I briefly mentioned Duke's behavior issues in my Introduction thread, but will continue here. Duke is now exactly 1 and a half years old. I foster dogs through a local rescue in town, and he was my first and only foster failure, I couldn't help but adopt him because his personality...

This thread has been quiet for some time, but being new here, it is new to me. I had never heard of the SATS approach of training before, and to be honest, am intriqued. I love the idea of "bridging" behavior so the dog understands it is on the right track to the target. I would love to re...

Welcome!! Your story sounds similar to my story... I foster dogs for a local shelter, and was a "foster failure" with one of these dogs, Duke, who is now my best friend. Can't imagine life without him! He, too, was a "special needs" dog because of his behavior issues (many of whi...

Emma's Mama... seriously thank you so much! It is just wonderful to know that someone understands. How is Emma doing now? If you can think of any serious no-no's you did with Emma that I can avoid, or anything that especially worked well, I would love to learn from your experience. I have purchased ...

Your animals are absolutely gorgeous!!! I am new to the site myself, so welcome :) I look forward to hearing your insight and your experiences with your dogs.... sounds like you might have some good tips yourself on rehabilitating dogs, which is why I joined the site, to learn more from those who ha...

Thank you for pointing out the possible transfer of dog aggression to leash/barrier aggression... that makes a lot of sense. If I were ever to do anything like that, the point is to avoid any signs of discomfort/aggression, directed towards anything... so I agree it would definitely have to be done ...

Hey Jamie! Can you be more specific about what you guys did wrong when you tried it? I have researched it everywhere and I feel if done correctly it can be done (in fact it SHOULD be done) with no trauma to the dog. In my case, the dog park is surrounded by acres of wooded areas and some cleared are...

Thank you so much for the warm welcomes already! I will go in to much more detail about his behavior issues but figured it would be a better conversation for the Behavior section, once I have posting rights :) I am sure many have faced similar challenges... I think being fearful of new situations an...

Hello all, I am glad to get the chance to be a part of a community who understands my dog's breed and situation :) Pic: http://www.freeimagehosting.net/guil9" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; My name is Cindy and my dog's name is Duke, he is a reactive Staffordshire Terrier/German Shepa...